In a vehicle, the area of the headlight is densely occupied by miscellaneous equipments, and the size of all the equipments has to be reduced as much as possible. Advantageously, it also reduces the weight of the components, and often their price. For these reasons, there is a permanent tendency toward downsizing, and accordingly the connector size, and more generally the volume occupied by the connection, have to be kept as small as possible.
It is therefore now expected of a connector to realize its connection function within a small volume, while having a high reliability over the whole lifetime of the vehicle.
In the prior art, such connectors are designed with a connector body which usually comprises a connector housing, supporting an electrically conductive shield. The connector housing is made of plastic, while the shield is a metallic part.
For the fastening of the connector on the equipment on which it is to be connected, fastening means can be provided on the connector. Among known fastening means are hooks or bumps, cooperating with corresponding portions of the connected equipment, having a shape designed to retain them, for example.
However, it has been observed in such connectors, that it is difficult to guarantee a long-lasting connection, or to guarantee the connection when the level of vibrations is high. Indeed, after the vehicle has been used for a couple of years, in the case of a car for instance, in some cases the connector may come off, the equipment being thereby disconnected.
A reason of this disconnection problem is that the connector housing is a plastic part. After a few years, the plastic material loses part of its resilience properties, the small portions such as pegs realizing the connection function wear off, and progressively, the risk of disconnection increases.
Another problem related with the connection of electrical equipments, is the emission of electro-magnetic radiations. This problem is particularly pregnant with modern lighting bulbs used in vehicles, for instance high intensity discharge lamps such as Xenon lamps. Such bulbs need to be powered by a current of relatively high intensity, under average voltage of around 40V.
For safety reasons, it is necessary to limit the radiations emitted or received by the cable and the connection between the electronic card and the bulb.
In order to reduce these radiations, a shielded cable has generally to be used, comprising a plurality of internal conductors in isolating sheath or braid.
Naturally, it is also expected that the connector should maintain the continuity of the shielding between the cable and the connected equipment (the headlight), preventing thereby the emission or reception of undesirable radiations at the connection between the cable and the equipment. That is why shielding means are provided in the connector.
Moreover, in order to further reduce the level of radiations emitted by the cable, it is always preferable to reduce the length thereof, which also reduces its cost.
Besides, to prevent vibrations or noise under the hood of the vehicle, and to prevent the cable from being on the way and disturbing during maintenance operations, the cable is usually guided on its route between the electronic card and the connected equipment.
This guiding often includes the cable orientation being set or imposed at the point of junction with the equipment, that is, at the connector. To impose the route of the cable, at least at its junction with the connector, an orientation component has been used, as disclosed by the European patent application EP1622231.
Thanks to this component, the direction of the cable at the junction with the connector is determined. The orientation is set to the most favourable direction in order to reduce the length of the cable, thereby minimizing the emitted radiations, the length, weight and cost of the cable.
Despite these advantages, this orientation component does not solve the problem of the unwanted disconnection of the connector body from the equipment.
Moreover, as the sole connector body realizes the mechanical connection between the cable and the equipment, it must comprise specialized fastening means in order to realize that function. Therefore, the complexity and size of the connector body are increased.